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Pokémon House.

"Hey~"

After sending away another customer who was deterred by the price, Alex shook his head helplessly. This customer had drawn Growlithe. Although he liked Growlithe's cute personality, the price tag of 300,000 was too much for him.

"It's already eight o'clock, and it's almost time to close," Alex noted, glancing at his watch. It was indeed eight in the evening.

After locking the door of the Pokémon House, Alex returned to the front desk.

"Basic knowledge of Attributes, Abilities, Evolution, Poké Ball, Breeding... and battle details?" Alex muttered as he typed away on the keyboard, recalling all the essential Pokémon information.

He was working on a Pokémon Rookie booklet to give to customers who bought Pokémon so they could learn on their own. Without it, they might constantly ask him detailed questions, which could become quite tiresome.

"Items... Forget it, I'll write about them. They'll come up in the future."

Pokémon items are crucial in a Trainer's journey. Technically, even Poké Balls are considered Pokémon items. There are also Fire Stones, Thunder Stones, Potions, and more, which will certainly be needed later on.

"Alex, would you like a break with a cup of tea?" Diancie approached with tea, concerned for Alex's well-being.

"Thank you, my little princess is so thoughtful," Alex said, accepting the tea and teasing Diancie.

"Alex, don't tease me," Diancie said, shyly covering her face. Being called a princess...

...

At Ryan's house.

"This is the pet you bought today?" a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes asked, looking strangely at the Vulpix lounging comfortably on a cushion.

A fox with six tails...

If he hadn't touched it himself, the young man might have thought he was hallucinating.

"Yeah, cousin, and Vulpix is amazing! I even commanded it to win against a Charmander today!" Ryan said, pushing up his glasses with a proud look.

"Charmander?" Jack raised an eyebrow, thinking his cousin might be confusing reality with video games.

Sure, a six-tailed fox is impressive, but the world is full of oddities.

Genetic mutations, though rare, do happen.

But what on earth is a Charmander?

"Cousin, you have to believe me, it's true! Look at this!" Ryan said, noticing Jack's skepticism. He quickly opened his computer browser, navigated to a video-sharing site, and pulled up a video.

"What?" Jack asked, looking over.

The title of the video read 'Epic Fight Between Two Heavyweight Trainers!'

Trainer?

Jack raised an eyebrow, curious about what this was all about.

The video opened in a room.

"I'm coming, Miss! I'll be your rival!"

"I play games professionally, and my Vulpix will be fine too!"

A young male voice spoke with strength and determination.

Recognizing his cousin's voice, Jack glanced at Ryan curiously.

"Ahem... That's not the point, cousin, keep watching," Ryan coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Wow!

He hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but now it seemed cringe-worthy, saying, "I'll be your rival."

Jack smirked slightly and continued watching.

"Okay, bring it on. My Charmander won't lose to a fox!"

In the video, after Ryan's declaration, a confident female voice responded energetically.

The camera panned to a spacious setting.

The protagonists of the voices came into view: Ryan, the bespectacled boy, and the girl across from him, youthful and vibrant—Hannah.

And of course, Charmander and Vulpix were by their sides!

"Is that what you call Charmander?" Jack's eyes lingered on Charmander, and he asked Ryan with interest.

"Yeah, but it's no match for my Vulpix!" Ryan nodded, unabashedly praising his Vulpix.

Charmander? Even if it becomes a dragon in the future, so what? What a joke!

My little fox can evolve into Ninetales!

Jack stroked his chin, intrigued by what would happen next.

What were these two going to do?

With a clear male voice, the battle rules were announced in the video.

In the video, the girl checked Charmander's moves on her Pokédex, caught off guard.

Taking this opportunity, Ryan commanded Vulpix to attack first.

"What?"

Under Jack's astonished gaze, Vulpix spat small fireballs at Charmander in the video.

Eruption!

It actually erupted!

"Ryan, is this video real?"

Jack instinctively looked at the Vulpix napping on the cushion and asked Ryan incredulously.

"Of course it's real. The boss had Diancie record it live. Brother, I told you my Vulpix is awesome, right?"

Ryan replied with pride.

My Vulpix! Invincible!

Jack's mind was racing. This wasn't just impressive; it was unbelievable!

"Cousin, relax and watch the video first. Witness my heroic prowess!"

Knowing Jack was shocked, Ryan calmly adjusted his glasses and encouraged him to keep watching.

Look at your jaw-dropping expression, can you even stay calm?

What is Diancie?

Jack was puzzled but pushed his curiosity aside and continued watching.!